


The Crappy Hotels Case (Who is She?)

by Zombie_ReiKitti



Series: Strange Friends [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminal Minds Setting, Crime Scenes, Gen, Murder, Skyrim character in criminal minds verse, murder investigation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 16:36:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18951883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombie_ReiKitti/pseuds/Zombie_ReiKitti
Summary: The BAU team gets a call about a case where the UNSUB kills people in hotels.





	The Crappy Hotels Case (Who is She?)

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: Mentions of rape- nothing graphic. Mentions of violence- nothing too graphic, but it is a murder scene. Mentions of blood.

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            _Seriously, what is up with bad guys and crappy hotels? Is it an initiatory thing?_ I wondered to myself as I slid my knife free of the most recent bad guy's chest. This one had been kidnapping and raping young boys before carving their hearts out. It was disgusting. It almost reminded me of those stories about werewolves- except that werewolves didn't generally rape anyone before devouring them.

            I walked back towards the front of the hotel and paused to make sure no one else was around. There was one camera on the other side of the front doors, but it was an easy thing to bypass; just walk around the outside parameter and no one would be any the wiser. It was a good thing that was the only camera, although it did mean that I had had to park a bit further away than I otherwise would have. One block and an alley away, to be precise. (There weren't any cameras near my car either. I checked. Twice.)

            Sometimes I wondered if anyone was following my killings yet or if I was still cruising under the radar. If it was the former, I was mighty curious why no one was hunting me down. It wasn't like I was leaving polished and clean murder scenes behind. Gods, just this one, I left the guy in the middle of the room with a clear knife wound to his chest and probably left a footprint trail leading to a wall (okay, so that's not a very good trail to follow, but it's always good to switch things up every so often. Plus not many people would realize I just took off my bloody shoes and walked back to my car in a pair of sandals. Always good to have an extra pair on hand just in case you need to make a quick change of attire). It was the little things that I enjoyed the most; a bloody footprint here, a careless fingerprint there, a jaunty wave at a camera. (Chuckling, that one reminded me of that one kid who had wanted to go to the FBI. He was such a weird kid, I really should've gotten his name. Oh well. Too late now.) So far, none of these clues had warranted any unsavory attention from the police. I supposed they just hadn't made the connection yet. I wondered when they would.

            But if I was perchance still cruising under the radar, I began to wonder how competent the police truly were. While them not realizing it was me helped me continue doing my job, it was always a good idea to have some idea on what the police thought was your doing and what they chalked up to be someone else's doing. (It was easier to dodge them if I knew what they figured was me and what they figured was someone else. I didn't want to unnecessarily draw unwanted attention to myself because I used one trick one too many times.)

            I ducked into the alley where I had parked my car and slipped inside while chucking my bloody shoes into the backseat. Quickly I took off the hoodie I had been wearing, and paused just before dropping it outside. Since I had already left quite a bit of clues on this case, I figured I should take caution and hold onto the bloody hoodie until I was a safer distance away (just like I was holding onto my shoes until I could either clean them or stash them somewhere). I stashed the hoodie under some other dirty clothes on the passenger side and started my car.

            The good thing about parking in an alley was that most people assumed you were just out on making a delivery. It didn't matter that your car was unmarked or from out-of-state which worked quite well for me. No one bothered to notice me or my car and if anyone did, they wouldn't think anything out of the ordinary for it, even despite how my sandals didn't match my outfit at all. (How-to-blend-in 101.)

            My phone pinged. Grabbing it from my back pocket, I held it up to my face. It was another job- another bad guy kidnapping kids. (Why was I getting all the kidnappers all of a sudden? I swore it was because of that one case where I took that kid to the FBI. This must've been some kind of weird retribution for getting the feds' attention or something.) It was close-by; maybe a half block from here. Shrugging, I turned left onto the correct street and parked at a nicer hotel. This hotel was still up and running. And it still had some patrons walking about. This just upped the stakes. I grinned as I pulled on a different jacket. Time to go shut someone up. (I really hoped this wouldn't be the one to get me onto the police's radar- I was enjoying flying under their noses.)

 

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            The weeks passed by slowly with still no leads. The case had officially turned cold. It frustrated the team. They couldn't believe someone could be lucky or skilled enough to evade detection so thoroughly. They reluctantly took other cases in an attempt to move on.  But each team member kept an eye open just in case a hint would appear.

 

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            "Okay, so this case is hot, hot, hot. Still having info coming in, it's so hot," Garcia said to the assembled team.

            "What makes this case so special?" Rossi asked, accepting a copy of the case file.

            "Well, so far, there's been three murders all within a mile radius and all of them were in hotels. That's not so unusual, but the UNSUB has so far evaded all cameras and has left a bloody footprint trail leading nowhere. Quite literally- the trail ended at a wall in the middle of a hallway. No other traces have been found." Garcia explained. She hit a button on the remote and photos were shown on the TV behind her of the different murder victims.

            "How were the victims killed?" Reid asked while looking through the case file.

            "The first two both had a wound to the chest, presumably made by a knife. The third was stabbed in the neck, also presumably done by a knife. It is unclear if they were all done by the same knife."

            "Hmmm... Why are we getting this? Why can't the local police handle this?" Morgan asked, staring at the photo where the bloody footprints led to a wall.

            "Well," Garcia started, "they believe this is the work of a serial killer because there was a similar note found at each of the murders." She clicked another button and the photos were replaced by a photo of the notes. They were small, white, and each had a familiar inked-in hand on it.

            "Is that-?" Morgan inquired, looking as though he couldn't be any more surprised.

            "Something's written on it," Reid observed. "Garcia, can you enlarge the photo?"

            "Oh, sure thing." Garcia clicked another button and the photo zoomed in.

            "'You've been warned'," Reid read aloud. "Warned? Warned about what?"

            "And who's it a warning for? The victim?" Morgan wondered. "Seems kind of an overkill to kill someone you're trying to warn."

            "Unless the message is for someone else. The police, maybe?" Reid added.

            "Or it's for the public?" Morgan scratched his chin absentmindedly.

            "More than that, I want to know why that black hand is on these notes and why a similar one was on the note found in Hotch's office," Rossi said. "I want to know if there's a connection between these notes."

            "Sounds like we have a case. Wheels up in thirty," Aaron ordered, wondering if they were finally about to get a break on that case that turned cold a few months back.

 

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            "What do you mean 'you can't find them'?" Aaron snarled at the local policeman.

            "T-t-they just v-vanished! That alley doesn't l-lead anywhere and t-there's no other entry into it," the policeman stammered, visibly paling when Aaron took a menacing step towards him.

            "If there isn't another way in or out, where did the UNSUB go?" It was taking all of Aaron's self discipline to not continue snarling at the poor policeman. It wasn't his fault their UNSUB was a slippery one, Aaron continuously reminded himself.

            "I don't know, sir," the policeman whimpered. He paused and then let out in a breath, "The only way I can think of, sir, was if the UNSUB _jumped_ and _climbed_ out of the alley. But they'd have to be really quick about it. I don't think any of us here could do it."

            Aaron hmmed. It didn't seem like a plausible answer to the question, but Aaron had learned, while working for the BAU, that sometimes the impossible was the only answer despite it being implausible.

            "Thank you for your input," Aaron gruffly said to the policeman before he turned and left to find his team. Maybe his team would have better answers to the situation.

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            "Garcia, how many cameras are in that alleyway?" Aaron asked through his phone. He heard typing on the other end.

            "Just the one at the start of it. Want me to see if we can get a glimpse of the UNSUB?" Garcia asked, typing away.

            "Yes, if it's possible." Aaron replied, staring at the crime board. It currently had photos of the victims and the crime scenes posted with each victim's time of death.

            "Well, it's not much, but there is a glimpse. I'll send it to you." Garcia piped up after a few minutes of silence. "I don't know how much it'll help, though."

            "Thanks, Garcia," Aaron said then ended the call. He waited a few minutes then his phone pinged. It was the video surveillance. He watched it. At the end, a small flicker happened at the far end of the alleyway. _It looks like piece of a jacket? A black jacket. No idea on what size. Damn, this isn't really anything to go on. At least we know the UNSUB went this way, though,_ Aaron mused to himself. He closed the video. "Reid!" He called out.

            "Yeah, Hotch?" Came Reid's quiet reply. He paused looking through the case files and looked up at Aaron.

            "How fast could someone scale up the side of the alleyway?" Aaron asked. Reid sucked in his cheeks while thinking it over.

            "Depending on how athletic the person is, relatively quickly. They'd need to jump and climb up the fire escape and then jump onto the nearby roof. Maybe five to ten minutes if they're in shape? Why? What'd you find?" Reid analyzed.

            "A glimpse of a jacket near the fire escape on the other end of the alleyway. It's not much, but it's something." Aaron answered.

            "Maybe they left some fingerprints or some other evidence on that fire escape!" Reid excitedly said. "I'll call Morgan and let them know where to look for traces!" He pulled out his phone and dialed Morgan's number. "Morgan! Look around the fire escape! There might be something the UNSUB left behind over in that area!"

            Aaron couldn't hear Morgan's reply but judging by Reid's excitement, it seemed that _something_ had been found.

            "Hotch! They found bloody fingerprints on the wall and on the fire escape! There's even a bloody footprint!" Reid told him, his excitement clear on his face.

            "Good. Hopefully we'll learn more about this UNSUB." Aaron nodded at Reid. "Let's get everything to the labs."

 

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            "The labs have come back," Rossi said while stretching out in his chair.

            "And? What'd they say?" Morgan asked from his own chair, a cup of noodles in his hands.

            "The fingerprints all match the ones found at the crime scenes. But that's not the kicker," Rossi replied, drawing out the suspense.

            "Oh? Do we have a match in the database?" Reid asked, his own cup of noodles cradled in his hands.

            "In a matter of speaking," Rossi paused. "They match the fingerprints found on that note found in Hotch's office."

            "But?" Morgan asked.

            "But there's no match in any database." Rossi sighed.

            "The labs have come back about the bloody footprints." Aaron intoned. "They were made by someone with a women's size 6 shoe. And they have standard combat boot traction."

            "So either the UNSUB is a woman or a male with small feet," Morgan inferred.

            "A young male would have the stamina to jump, reach, and pull themselves up the fire escape. A woman would have some trouble doing all of that so quickly," Rossi mentioned. "Plus a man would have the stamina to stab three people in such quick succession."

            "But the angle at which the victims were stabbed would suggest someone shorter. So either it's a younger male than previously thought or the UNSUB is a woman." Reid butted in.

            "How young are we talking about?" Rossi asked, eyeing his noodles on the desk in front of him.

            "Fourteen or so? That or he's extremely short." Reid replied.

            "Let's not jump to any conclusions," Aaron cut in, stopping the almost argument. Everyone sighed and concentrated on eating their take-out noodles.

            Aaron's phone started ringing. Quickly flipping it open, he held it up to his ear.

            _"Based off the angle of the stab wound in the first two victims, the UNSUB must be around the height of five-foot-four-inches, assuming they were standing when they stabbed the victims."_ The lab technician told Aaron.

            "I see. Thank you," Aaron thanked. "Is there anything else?"

            _"From the angles of the last victim's injuries, the victim must have been sitting or kneeling for the UNSUB to have enough reached his neck."_ Came the lab technician's reply.

            Aaron hmmed then thanked the lab technician again before hanging up. "The UNSUB is about five-foot-four-inches tall." He told his team.

            "So either a short male or a woman." Morgan sighed.

            "Let's call it a night and get some rest. We'll look at things again in the morning," Rossi suggested, standing and throwing away his empty take-out carton. The team all nodded and followed suit after Rossi, throwing away their empty take-out cartons, and leaving for the hotel where they were staying.

 

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            "Let's go over what we know," Aaron told his team the next morning.

            "The UNSUB is short- just five-foot-four," Rossi said first.

            "They wear a women's size 6 shoe," Reid cut in next.

            "The shoes are standard combat boots," Morgan piped up.

            "The UNSUB's fingerprints match across the crime scenes and match the prints found on my note, but there's no match in any database," Aaron finished.

            "Didn't Garcia find something on the surveillance? Part of a jacket or something?" Reid asked.

            "Yes, just a small bit of what appeared to be a black jacket was seen on the surveillance," Aaron replied. "So this UNSUB was most likely wearing a jacket while murdering at least the latest victim. It's also possible they changed clothes between each crime scene."

            "That's not a lot of time to change between each crime scene. It takes maybe five minutes to get between each hotel- less time if they drove to each crime scene. So they, what, changed on the go?" Morgan enquired.

            "It would be easy to make a quick change of jackets and shoes if they kept a second or third pair in their vehicle. If they parked in places where no one would be watching, they could change in peace with no one any the wiser. But this would require they keep the bloody clothing until they can safely dump them elsewhere." Rossi inferred.

            "Was there anything that resembled a dumping place in that alleyway?" Reid asked.

            "Nothing that we noticed. The dumpsters were empty- the garbage trucks must've been by earlier in the day," was Rossi's reply.

            "Let's assume the UNSUB is keeping their bloody clothes until they can safely dump them somewhere. Where would they keep their vehicle? And where in the vehicle would they keep bloody clothes? It can't be anywhere someone would be able to see, on the off chance someone looks into the vehicle." Morgan suggested.

            "Are there any parking garages around the hotels? Any back out-of-the-way alleys? Besides the one we found," Reid asked, already reaching for the map of the city. "Aha! There's a small parking garage about five blocks from the last hotel. The alleyway we found is on the way to it." He looked up excitedly at the team.

            "Morgan and Reid, go check out the areas around the parking garage. See if you can find any clues." Aaron ordered. "Rossi and I will ask around the hotels again."

 

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            "This right turn and viola, there it is," Reid told Morgan as they drove to the parking garage. There wasn't anywhere else to park for the last four blocks so the traffic in and out of the garage would be heavier than it otherwise would've been. "Think we'll find anything here?"

            "One way to find out, kid," Morgan replied, parking their SUV in the nearest open space. They climbed out of the SUV and started to walk around the garage. Soon they heard murmurings to the left of them. Turning, they saw four people mingling about around a lit fire barrel. "Let's see if anyone knows anything."

            They approached the group cautiously. They didn't know if this visit would go smoothly or if it'd turn south quickly.

            "Hey, have any of you seen someone walking around these parts with bloody shoes or a bloody jacket?" Morgan began while Reid stood off to the side. No one made eye contact with them, though.

            Morgan reached forward and grabbed the shoulder of a woman. "Did you hear me?"

            She shrugged off Morgan's hand. "Didn' see nothin'."

            Morgan went to try asking someone else, but they all turned away from him, shuffling further from the two federal agents.

            "I don't think they're going to tell us anything, Morgan," Reid said to his partner. Morgan huffed then sighed.

            "Let's go walk around the perimeters. Maybe the UNSUB left something behind." Morgan turned and walked to the outside of the garage and started looking through the bushes.

            The man closest to the fire barrel stuffed a stick into the fire and shuffled things around until a black hoodie and a black jacket were nestled in the center of the flames and both caught fire. He watched as they burned before he glanced at the federal agents and smirked to himself. _No one's gonna turn her in to those fuckers,_ he thought to himself, beginning to hum a merry little tune to himself.

 

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            "What do you think?" Rossi asked Aaron when they arrived at the rundown hotel.

            "This UNSUB isn't too methodical. This seems more like a opportunity than a premeditated murder. Same with the other two murders. Opportunity arose and they took it, despite where they were." Aaron answered, walking to where the bloody footprints were in a hallway. "But these footprints..."

            "They don't match up with an opportunist. They seem premeditated to throw us off our game," Rossi finished. He bent down to look at them closer. "And the fingerprints..."

            "They were left in strategic places- places where we'd find them but nowhere else, and not found in any database." Aaron looked at Rossi. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

            "A professional killer; a hitman. Or rather, a hitwoman," Rossi whistled. "Just who are we dealing with here?"

           

 

 


End file.
